As the day marks the birth of the Lord, a small cradle is placed in the homes of the devotees or in the temples. A small idol of Krishna is placed inside it and a string is attached to the cradle. People can come forward to swing the cradle and it is believed by doing so, their wishes get fulfilled. Women also perform the ritual in order to have a beautiful and notorious child as Krishna.

Priests perform Abhishekam Bathing the idol of the Hindu deityon the idols of Krishna using panchamrit. Aarti It is a Hindu religious ritual of worshipis also performed which usually ends up with the ceremony of Prasadam distribution. The traditional prashad is known as Panchajiri which is made up of powdered ginger, sugar, coriander, clarified butter and fennel seeds. Poppy seeds and coconut can also be added to the same. People offer flowers, fruits, sweets, new clothes and jewelry to Krishna. Some may also perform some charity and feed the hungry. Communities organize small events in which many eating stalls and play rides are put up for everyone to enjoy the festival to the fullest.

People can rejoice the day at home too by inviting friends and family members and getting mesmerized in the name of Krishna. They can together decorate the house and the prayer place. New clothes and miniature jewelry can also be brought for small Krishna idols placed at home. Devotees may offer garlands made of fresh flowers. Children in the family are usually dressed in beautiful traditional clothes enacting Krishna and Radha. They might also hold flute as it was the sacred and favorite musical instrument of the God. Peacock feathers are a charm of the day as Krishna used to adorn his head with a peacock feather and kids imitate the same. Sweets and various other delicacies are prepared for the day which are first offered to Krishna and then are consumed by devotees after completing the fast.

In Maharashtra and Goa, this festival is celebrated as a cultural event. In his childhood days, Krishna loved butter and curd and he use to steal it with his friends from the neighboring houses. Women use to get very angry and they soon started hanging earthen pots filled with the food content on some height so the young Krishna who had a small height, couldn’t reach to the top. Krishna was very naughty and found a way out. He collected his friends and started making human pyramids to reach to the top and eat butter and curd from the pots. To relive the same childhood of Krishna, on this day young boys get together to form such human pyramids and reach the pots placed at huge heights by the women of the society. They not only get to relish the curd after breaking the pot but also earn cash prizes for themselves.

Ras Leela

The ritual of Rasleela is mainly performed in Mathura and Vrindavan. Rasleela are the religious plays in which people enact incidents from the life of Krishna which were dedicated to his love, Radha and his female friends called Gopis. Devotees dance and sing as they highlight the notorious and romantic phase of Krishna’s life. His influence was so immense that women use to leave behind their household chores just to see a glimpse of Krishna and spend as much time with him as possible.

Nandotsav

In many regions, the festival is followed by another one known as Nandotsav in which people present gifts to each other to express their happiness and honor the birth of Krishna. It is celebrated on a grand scale in a temple named Radha Vallabh temple, situated in Vrindavan.